Device for removing and replacing bearing-chock assemblies



May 22, 1962 H. N. FRY 3,035,335

DEVICE FOR REMOVING AND REPLACING BEARING-CHOCK ASSEMBLIES Filed April1, 1958 E'Sheets-Sheet 1 2 INVENTOR.

HOWARD'M FRY His ATTORNEY H. N. FRY

May 22, 1962 DEVICE FOR REMOVING AND REPLACING BEARING-CHOCK ASSEMBLIES3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 1, 1958 INVENTORL HOWARD N. FRY

Z ATTORNEY May 22., 1962 H. N. FRY

DEVICE FOR REMOVING AND REPLACING BEARING-CHUCK ASSEMBLIES Filed April1, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. HOW/1RD M FRY His ATTORNEY 3,035,335Patented May 22, 1962 3,035,335 DEVICE FOR REMOVING AND REPLAUNGBEARING-CHUCK ASSEMBLES Howard N. Fry, Avalon, Pa, assignor to UnitedEngn nearing and Foundry Company, Pittsburgh, Pa, a corporation ofPennsylvania Filed Apr. 1, 1958, Ser. No. 725,567 2 Claims. (Cl. 29-434)This invention relates to a device for use in removing and replacingbearing-chock assemblies of shafts, rolls and the like and which isparticularly adapted to be employed in the removal and replacement ofheavy cumbersome bearing-chock assemblies such as those applied to thejournals of rolling mill rolls.

In an efficient-high production rolling mill plant, there are arrangedin succession a number of rolling mills for processing continuous stripmaterial and in some cases the number may range from eight to as many astwelve stands. To maintain these stands in their optimum operationalcondition, the roll assemblies are frequently removed and replaced byother roll assemblies. In the case of the work rolls 'of 4-Hi cold millstands, for example, it is not unusual to change the work rolls afterbut two or three hours of operation. While the necessity for regrindingthe rolls is the most frequent reason for changing them, roll changingmay also be required where the metallurgy of the product requires itand, of course, will be required where an increased width of material isto be rolled. When changing rolls, it is the universal practice toremove the rolls with their heavy and cumbersome bearings and chockassemblies mounted on the journals thereof, following which thebearing-chock assemhlies are then removed from the rolls.

The present practice for accomplishing this operation is to employ anoverhead crane and several crewmen, the crane supporting thebearing-chock assembly as it is removed frorn the roll journal. Inreplacing the chock assembly on the roll, the assembly is supported bythe crane as it is moved towards the roll and guided by the workmen ontothe roll journal. It can readily be seen that this manner of removingand replacing the bearingchock assemblies is dangerous to the workmenand occupies a substantial amount of time, particularly that of thecrane, the services of which may be urgently needed elsewhere in theplant. Moreover, in the event the bearings adhere tightly to the rolljournal, the use of a crane to remove the assemblies is not only adangerous operation, but it may be impossible to remove the assembliesunless other means to loosen them are employed.

The present invention provides a device for the removal and/or thereplacement of bearing-chock assemblies which requires the services ofbut one operator and eliminates the necessity for employing a crane orother hoisting device.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a bearing-chockassembly removal and replacement device which will operate inconjunction with a roll storage rack upon which rolls are placedside-by-side either with or without the bearing-chock assemblies mountedon the journals thereof, the storage rack being located in anout-of-the-way place with respect to the mill so as not to interferewith the normal operation of the plant.

It is another object of this invention to provide a device in the formof a self-advancing car for removing and replacing the bearing-chockassemblies of a roll or shaft and which is adapted to be positionedadjacent to the ends of the rolls placed in a rack for servicing. Aftera bearing and chock assembly has been removed from one roll, inasmuch asthe bearing-chock assembly itself usually does not require servicing,the car may be advanced to a position adjacent to a free roll so thatthe bearing-chock assembly may be readily placed on the journal thereof.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a bearing-chockassembly removal device consisting of a first car movable in ahorizontal plane adjacent to and at right angles to the axes of aplurality of rolls arranged in a roll rack and a second car mounted onrails supported by the first, which car is movable by self-advancingmeans towards and in contact with the chock assembly of the particularroll with which the device is aligned so that when the second car isretracted, the chock assembly will thereby be removed from the rolljournal.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a device forremoving the chock assembly from the journal of a roll or shaft whereinpressure applying means is provided for exerting the necessary pressureon the chock to pull the chock from the journal in the event the bearingadheres tightly to the journal.

It is another object of this invention to provide a device for removingbearing-chock assemblies from the journals of a roll having a pair ofarms adapted to be engaged with the inner end surfaces of thebearing-chock assembly and which, in conjunction with a pressure jack,will forceably remove a tightly adhering assembly from the roll journal.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a device forplacing a chock and/ or bearing assembly on the journals of a roll orshaft in which there is a vertically adjustable yieldable platen forsupporting the assembly as it is carried toward the roll and placed uponthe journal thereof.

It is a further object of this invention to provide, in

combination with a rack upon which a plurality of rolling mill rolls arearranged side-by-side, two cars, one for either end of the rolls, foruse in the removal and replacement of the bearing-chock assembliessecured to the ends of the rolls.

These objects, as well as the various other novel features andadvantages of the present invention, will become apparent from a readingof the following description and accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a pair of devices embodying the features of theinvention herein disclosed shown in cooperative relationship with a setof racks upon which a plurality of rolling mill rolls may be positionedfor servicing;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation view of the assembly shown in FIG. 1 with oneof the bearing chock assemblies removed from the roll;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken at lines 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken at lines 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a partial view showing more clearly certain portions of thedevice illustrated in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 6 is a partial end view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 5.

With reference to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there are shown therein incombination a pair of bearing-chock assembly removal and replacementdevices 11, supported upon a pair of tracks 12 extending along eitherside of a rack 13 upon which rolling mill rolls may be placed forservicing, particularly for the removal from and placement ofbearing-chock assemblies on the journals of the rolls.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, each bearing-chock removal and replacementdevice 11 comprises a carriage 14 consisting of a frame 15 having fourwheels 16 mounted therebeneath and rotatably supported upon a pair ofshafts 17 extending transversely of and secured to the frame 15.Projecting downwardly from the frame 15 there is a pin 15a which, forindexing purposes, may be dropped into one of a number of sockets 1512provided in the foundation at spaced points along the roll-supportingservicing racks. Supported for transverse movement on the carriage 14,there is a secondary carriage 18 consisting of a box type frame having aside member 19 to which there are welded end members 21. Wheels 22 aresupported upon a pair of shafts 23 extending through the frame. Spacedupward from the bottom of and secured to the box frame there is a base24 upon which a pair of jack screws 25 are mounted and connectedtogether in driving relationship by a universal shaft 26. From the topof each jack screw 25 and extending in a vertical direction there is aspindle 27 aflixed to but adapted to rotate relative to the platform 28for raising and lowering the platform. Suitable guiding members 29 areprovided for the platform 28.

Above the platform 28 and yieldably supported thereon by means ofsprings 32 there is a platen 33 having two spaced blocks 34 secured tothe upper surface thereof between which a bearing-chock assembly isreceived on removal from a roll journal. The platen 33 is provided withsideboards 35 for rigidity. At spaced intervals there are stud bolts 36secured to the platform 28 which extend upward and partially throughsuitable Openings 37 in the platen 33 for preventing the platen frombeing displaced horizontally relative to the platform 28 whilepermitting the platen 33 to be displaced vertically relative to theplatform 28 for accomplishing a leveling action.

To the front of the secondary carriage 18 there are pivotally secured toeach side thereof, by means of ball and socket joints 38, a pair ofbearing-chock assembly engaging arms 39. Projections 41 are provided onthe arms and at such a location as to engage a bearing-chock assemblysubstantially across the inner face centerline, i.e., the face mostadjacent to the roll body from which the assembly is to be removed. Theouter end of each arm 39 is so shaped as to provide a hook 42. Alsosupported on the secondary carriage 18 and welded thereto, there is apedestal 43 having upright side members 44 and a plate 45 secured acrossthe top thereof. Between the two side members 44, there is a frame 46,which is pivotally mounted on suitable brackets 46a. To the frame 46there is secured a screw type jack 47. The jack is actuated by rotatingthe shaft 48 by means of a suitable lever or the like, thereby extendingthe screw 49 to engage the pad 51, attached at the end thereof, with theend of roll or shaft from which a bearing-assembly is to be removed. Theframe 46 is locked in position, as shown in FIG. 3, by a pin 46b. In theevent the bearing-chock assembly is not tightly aflixed to the roll orshaft, then the frame 46 is pivoted away from its operative positionthereby to permit the operator to have an unobstructed view of the shaftend and bearing assembly for readily effecting the removal thereofwithout the use of the jack.

At the top of the pedestal 43 and secured by means of hinges 52 there isa pair of links 53 having attached at the outer ends thereof a member 54in which a suitable opening 54a is provided for engaging the links withthe hooks 42. Adjacent to the pedestal 43, there is a shaft 55 rotatablysupported in bearings 56 which are secured to the secondary carriage 18.The shaft is provided with a hand wheel 57 at its outer end and with abevel gear 58 at the other which meshes with a similar bevel gear 59mounted on a shaft supported on the secondary carriage. To the shaft ofgear 59 there is keyed a sprocket 61 over which a continuous chain 62passes which extends downward and around a similar sprocket 63 rotatablysecured to a suitable shaft aflixed to the lower portion of thecarriage. Also on the shaft of sprocket 63 there is affixed a secondsprocket in back of the sprocket 63 from which a continuous chain 64extends to a sprocket 65 afiixed to the shaft of one of the jack screws25. By turning the hand wheel 57, the jack screw spindles 27 areextended or retracted either for raising or lowering the platform 28 andplaten 33- attached thereto.

At the outer end of the carriage 14 there is aifixed a base 66 on whicha shaft 67 is rotatably supported in suitable bearings 68. To one end ofthe shaft 67 there is keyed a hand wheel 69 and to the othe end asprocket 71. A continuous chain 72 passes over the sprocket 71 andengages with a sprocket 73 keyed to a shaft 74 rotatably secured to thecarriage 14. A second sprocket 75 is also keyed to the shaft 74 and acontinuous chain 76 is passed thereover and around a sprocket 77 keyedto the end of shaft 17 to which there are also secured a pair of thecarriage wheels 16. By rotation of the hand wheel 69, the carriage 14 ismoved along the tracks 12 to the desired position adjacent to the rollrack 13.

Although the secondary carriage 18 may be moved by hand into positionadjacent to the rolls to be serviced, positive means for doing so isalso provided which consists of a pawl 78 pivotally secured by means ofa pin 79' to a lever 81 which, in turn, is secured to a shaft 82supported in suitable bearings mounted on the secondary carriage. Thepawl 78 engages with a rack 83 secured to the top of one of a pair ofI-beam track portions 84 which are provided for the carriage wheels 22.As will be noted, the pawl 78 is provided with two oppositely disposedrack engaging teeth 85 and 86 and depending upon the direction thecarriage is to be moved, either one may be engaged with the teeth on therack simply by turning the pawl 180 about its pivot pin 79. The shaft 82extends through the secondary carriage and at the opposite end thereofthere is secured a member 87, similar to the lower portion of lever 81to which a pawl 88, identical to pawl 78, is pivotally attached. Thepawl 88 meshes with the teeth of a rack 89 supported on the top of theother I- beam track. As shown in FIG. 5, the pawl 78, as well as thepawl 88, are so disposed with respect to the racks 83 and 89respectively that upward movement of the lever 81 will move thesecondary carriage 18 to the-right.

Operation of the bearingchock removal and replacement device may bebriefly summarized as follows:

In FIG. 2, there is shown a roll R, in position on the roll storagerack, from one end of which the bearing-chock assembly B has beenremoved, the second bearing-chock assembly B still remaining on theroll. Either manually or by rotation of the hand wheel 69, the maincarriage 14 and the assembly supported thereon is moved to a positionadjacent to the end of the roll R supported on the rack 13 and isindexed into its proper position as the pin 15a drops into the adjacentsocket 1512 provided therefor. The secondary carriage 18 is then pushedtoward the roll end to place the platen 33 in position beneath thebearingchock assembly and the platen 33 raised, by actuatingthe jackscrews 27, to fully engage the platen 33 with the under surface of theassembly. If the bearing-chock assembly is tightly afiixed to the neckof the roll, then the arms 39 are raised to a position between the innerfaceof the bearing-chock assembly and the end of the body of the roll R.In order that the projections 41 will make contact with the inner faceof the bearing-chock assembly substantially at diametrically oppositepoints across the centerline, the arms 39 are provided with stops 90which, depending upon the size of the bearing-chock assembly to beoperated upon, are so placed along the length of the arms that they willengage the upper surface to the bearing-chock assembly at the same timethe projections 41 are opposite one another on the centerline. Frame 46is then rotated into position and locked in place by a locking pin 46band the jack screw 47 actuated to press the pad 51 against the end ofthe roll and thereby exert a sufiicient force on the arms 39 to pull theassembly free of the journal.

If, however, the bearing-chock assembly B is not too firmly afiixed tothe journal of the roll then, without the aid of the arms 39 and jack47, workmen may remove the assembly merely by manually pulling away thesecondary carriage 18 or by actuating the lever 81 thereby to remove theassembly.

If a bearing-chock assembly is to be replaced upon the journal of aroll, then the assembly is merely placed upon the platen 33, the heightof the platen adjusted to align the axis of the assembly with the axisof the roll and then the secondary carriage 18 moved in a directiontoward the roll. The frame 46 is, of course, in its out-of-the-wayposition so that the view of the operator will be completelyunobstructed in aligning and placing the bearing-chock assembly on theshaft or roll neck.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I haveexplained the principle and operation of my invention and haveillustrated and described what I consider to represent the bestembodiment thereof. However, I desire to have it understood that withinthe scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practicedotherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. A device for removing and replacing sleeve members on the journal ofa shaft comprising a platform, said platform adapted to be moved axiallyof the shaft, a platen mounted on said platform and provided with asleeve supporting surface, means for vertically adjusting said platen, aframe pivotally secured to said platform and adapted to be brought froman inoperative to an operative position, a jack engageable with the endof the shaft, said frame providing a support :for said jack whereby whensaid frame is in its operative position said jack will be co-axiallyaligned with respect to said shaft and when in said inoperative positionsaid jack will be out of alignment with respect to said shaft, a pair ofarms operatively connected to said jack which are adapted to be engagedwith the sleeve so that on the application of an axial force by saidjacks said sleeve will be caused to move relative to the shaft anddeposited on said sleeve supporting surface of said platen.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1 including yieldable means forsupporting said platen and operatively arranged to permit a sleevemember supported thereon to be readily displaced both vertically andhorizontally for axially aligning said sleeve with a shaft onto which itis to be placed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS748,390

